Somehow
by amillionsmiles
Summary: Katara hadn't pictured herself on Appa with Zuko. She'd never pictured herself forgiving him, either. But here she was, across from him, realizing that somehow he understood her. And somehow, she understood him, too. Somehow, they ended up like this. -DISCONTINUED-
1. Chapter 1

"Where did Aang tell us to meet him and the others again?" Zuko asked, his voice full of doubt. For the past hour or so he'd had to stare at the back of Katara's head as she maneuvered Appa through the chilly night sky. The silence surrounding them was just as chilly, since Katara refused to say a word to Zuko. "I said," Zuko repeated, a little bit louder, "where did Aang tell us to meet him?"

"Wulong Forest," Katara replied, not bothering to turn around to look at him. "Now be quiet. I need to steer." Zuko almost snorted. She'd been "steering" for a while now.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?"

"Of course I do!" Katara snapped. Her eyes were fixed ahead, but they narrowed at Zuko's question. The truth was, she didn't, but she wasn't going to let _Zuko_ of all people know that.

Zuko. For some reason, when Katara had envisioned going for a night ride she hadn't imagined Zuko with her. She'd had a bad case of insomnia that night, and Aang had suggested she take a calming ride on Appa, so that when she landed she'd be tired enough to fall asleep. Apparently, Zuko also hadn't been able to sleep. Despite her protests, Aang insisted that Zuko should tag along.

The five of them had been camping in Wulong Forest, and originally Katara hadn't planned to stray far from it. But she'd gotten caught up in the soothing rhythm of Appa bobbing up and down and decided to fly a little farther, to glide a little higher. Now they were lost.

"Do you want me to take over for you? You look kind of tired," Zuko offered, cutting into Katara's thoughts. Katara had no idea how he could tell she was tired if he was looking at the back of her head.

"No," she said flatly, gripping Appa's reins tighter. It was awkwardly quiet.

"Why are you so touchy?"

"I'm not," Katara snapped.

"Yes, you are. Everybody else has forgiven me. Aang, Toph, Sokka… even _Appa_ likes me now! Why won't you give me a second chance?" Zuko asked, bewildered at Katara's frosty treatment.

"I already gave you a second chance."

"When?"

"In Ba Sing Se, remember?" Katara replied, her voice icy cold. "But obviously, when the time came, you didn't care. You didn't change at all, even though you said you did."

"Why won't you let that go?"

"Let _go?_ I trust you, I offer to _heal_ you, and when you turn your back on me, I'm supposed to _let go?"_ Katara almost shouted.

"That's not fair –"

"I'll tell you what's not fair. Feeling sorry for someone, sympathizing with them, believing them, and then having them turn around and stab you in the back. _You almost killed Aang!"_ Frustrated tears blurred Katara's vision.

"But I'm _good_ now!" Zuko's temper surged, but he fought to keep his voice civil.

"You were 'good' in Ba Sing Se too," Katara snarled.

"I was confused then! It's different now!"

"Different _how?_ Because now your sister has abandoned you for real and you've learned that even your family won't help you out?" The words were biting, but Katara refused to take them back.

"I'm _trying!_ Why can't you accept that?" Zuko clenched his fists. She was _impossible._ He'd worked so hard to make the others like him. He thought that they liked him, too. They'd had some good times together. Katara, though, wouldn't have any of it. Every single thing he did she found fault with. It drove him crazy, because he couldn't pinpoint the reason why she hated him so much.

"But that's just the thing with you, isn't it? You 'try' but you never actually follow through."

"Katara, look –"

"_Don't you dare!"_ Katara interjected, whirling on him. Her eyes flashed with a fury Zuko hadn't ever seen before. At that moment she seemed less like a waterbender and more like a firebender. Waterbenders were supposed to be gentle, to go with the flow. Instead, Katara's hair whipped around her face, tugged free from its messy braid, and her eyes shot sparks. They glared at each other in the silence, and Zuko felt his heart plummet.

"Don't do _what?"_

"Don't say my name like that."

"Like _what?"_ he asked, his voice rising in frustration. What did she want from him?

"Don't say my name like you're my friend, like you know me, because you don't. You won't ever be my friend."

"I…"

"Look, thanks for _trying._ But I think you've figured out by now that trying _isn't_ good enough. Until you prove that you aren't just the pigheaded, out-to-get-us, scheming person that you were – are, even, I'm _not going to trust you."_

The air around them dropped another few degrees. Zuko didn't respond.

Katara heard Zuko shift behind her, but resisted looking back at him to see what he was doing. Finally, she couldn't help wondering. She looked back to find Zuko asleep already, snoring lightly. He looked uncomfortable, but at least he was finally quiet. Grimly, Katara steered Appa downwards, hoping to find a nice spot to rest for the night.

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**So, this is my first fanfic that isn't a one-shot. Please leave me a review if you'd like to see me continue with the story. If I get TEN (or more :P) I'll put up the next chapter, but if not I'll take it to mean that I should stick to writing one-shots. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Katara woke up grumpy.

When she had finally found a cave last night, Zuko had been fast asleep on Appa's back, and Katara had been forced to sleep on the ground. The cave floor was cold and hard, and hadn't done anything to improve Katara's spirits. She got up grumpily and gathered up a few armloads of wood, in hopes of starting a fire.

Naturally, fate wasn't on her side. The flint stone refused to cooperate, and Katara couldn't get a fire started with two sticks, either. On top of that, the only firebender she had on hand was fast asleep. Katara shot a bitter glare towards Zuko, and picked herself off the rough cave floor. She tiptoed over to him, sprawled out on Appa's back. His chest rose slowly as he inhaled and exhaled. With his face so relaxed, he almost looked like a normal teenager. Almost.

A strand of hair fell across his face, slightly covering his eyes. Katara's fingers twitched. Motherly instinct – and something else – made her long to brush the hair out of his face. Her fingers trembled as they reached for the strand. Suddenly, a flash of gold burst open, and Katara found Zuko wide awake. She blinked.

"I was just about to wake you up," she muttered, arm dropping to her side as she tried to disguise the sudden blush that threatened to crawl up her neck. "I need you to start the fire." Zuko sat up, painfully slow, and rubbed his eyes, not fully awake.

"Fire? What fire?"

"We're in a cave. We need a fire. To cook," Katara grumbled, already annoyed with Zuko. "So, you know, if you could spare some time to get up and help, that'd be great." Zuko gave her a slightly bewildered look.

"Uh, okay," he stammered, clambering down from Appa's back. "I'll take care of that while you do…whatever." Katara ignored him as she left the cave. Zuko stared after her before turning his attention on the measly pile of sticks. With a short burst he set them aflame, the reassuring noise of crackling wood putting him at ease.

It was quiet in the cave, which gave him plenty of space to think. Unfortunately, the only thing to think about was Katara. Zuko knew it shouldn't matter what she thought about him, that he shouldn't care – she was only one person. The other three – Toph, Sokka, and Aang – had already forgiven him. It didn't matter that _she_ hadn't. But for some reason, it did. He hated the way she looked at him, as if he was something she picked off the bottom of her shoe. He hated how she always made him feel guilty and small, and _wrong_, when it wasn't even his fault.

He hated that he felt as if he needed to prove himself to her, to show her he wasn't as bad as she made him out to be.

Meanwhile, rummaging around in the woods yielded only a few berries and mushrooms. Katara hadn't planned on getting lost, and so she hadn't packed much in terms of supplies. They would have to make do with what they had. She sighed.

Why, of all the people, had she gotten stuck with Zuko? And why did he make her feel so irritable? He always gave her that look – that confused, sad look, as if he couldn't figure out why she was mad – and then she would feel guilty for all the bitter words she told him. Even though _he _had been the one who betrayed them. Even though, for so long, he had been the bad guy. That knowledge had given her fuel, something to fight against. But now that he was on their side, she felt disoriented and didn't know whom to pick out as the enemy.

Because how could you tell someone was being evil on purpose? Maybe they were just trying to cope, to do the only thing they knew how to do. It wasn't their fault if they'd been brought up the wrong way, or looked at things differently. They were right from their perspective.

Zuko had been right from his perspective.

So why didn't she respect that? Katara inhaled. Slowly. She'd always prided herself on being tolerant and compassionate. For the longest time Zuko had been the exception, but maybe she could bring herself to accept him. She could be nice. She could try.

Katara trudged back to the stream that ran along the outside of the cave. She set her findings down on a rock and closed her eyes, just moving her arms in whatever way felt right. The running water was soothing. Katara felt her senses become taken over by the stream's steady lull. Push and pull. In and out. Breathe. Suddenly, she opened her eyes to find Zuko watching her.

He coughed. Before she could make a snide remark, Katara stopped herself. _Nice,_ she reminded herself firmly. Start with a question.

"When did you start firebending?" Zuko looked startled, as if he hadn't been expecting her to ask him a question. Actually, he'd been bracing himself for another mean remark, but Katara's curiosity caught him by surprise.

"Since I was little," he answered, giving a small shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, I was expected to be able to." He stopped. "What about you?" She let the mass of water drop back into the stream with a flick of her hand as she turned to him. Her eyes had a faraway look to them.

"Only this year, actually. I was the only waterbender in our tribe, so there wasn't really anyone to teach me. And every time I tried, I always screwed something up. But then Aang came along, and there was Master Pakku, and now I'm Aang's teacher…" He let her trail off, just listening, glad that for once she wasn't yelling at him.

"You're good." It was as close to a compliment as he would allow himself to say. Katara seemed to realize it, too, shooting him a grateful smile.

"Thanks."

"Do you ever get tired of taking care of everybody?" he suddenly burst out. Almost immediately afterward he regretted it, afraid that Katara would withdraw and he'd be left wondering what he'd done wrong. Again. Thankfully, Katara answered.

"Not really. I mean, with my mom – " the word came out strangled, but Katara continued on – "with my mom gone, there was just me, Granny, and Sokka. And you know, Sokka wasn't… _isn't_ the most mature at times. Plus my dad was away. I didn't really have a choice about taking charge and growing up. I just… I grew up fast. But when I'm taking care of Aang and everyone, at least I know what I'm doing, even if I'm still considered just a kid by other people."

"That must be hard," Zuko commented. Katara gave him a sideways glance, and something that looked like an amused smile. "What?" he asked, confused.

"You're one to talk," she said.

"Huh?"

"You've had to do a lot of growing up too. I mean, how old were you when you set off on your own with just your uncle to try to catch the Avat – I mean, Aang? I think you've had the hardest time out of all of us. Then again, we've all had to grow up pretty fast."

"Oh." Zuko had never thought of things that way, but it was true – he'd had to grow up fast, too. His mother had left him, his father hadn't cared, and his sister… Azula was a whole different matter.

"You know," Katara continued, "back when we were debating about letting you join the gang, we were talking about how you didn't turn out as messed up as you could have. It could have been worse. You could have been like Azula. I wouldn't blame you, with a family like yours… no wonder you were confused," she said, trailing off. Zuko swallowed.

Was that what they saw him as? A scared, confused boy who had nothing to do except trail the Avatar, in hopes that maybe he'd be reaccepted by his dysfunctional family. _'You didn't turn out as messed up as you could have.'_ The words hurt. Zuko knew Katara had meant to be reassuring, but instead they drove a nail through his heart. Perhaps the only reason they'd taken him on was because they felt sorry for him. Sorry that he was so messed up and alone. They'd taken him in out of pity. Zuko clenched his fist.

Well, he didn't need anyone's pity. Especially not Katara's. He got up, a bit too fast, startling Katara. Whether or not she recognized the look in his eyes, he couldn't tell, but she opened her mouth to say something.

"Zuko, I didn't mean –"

"No, I see how it is," he responded, cutting her off firmly. He turned and walked back into the cave. This time, he was the one to end the conversation. He was the one to close the door in her face. He was the one to walk away.

For some reason, though, he didn't feel as triumphant as he should have felt.

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**A/N: Agh. Sorry it took so long. I'm hoping to get the action to pick up from here, so bear with me. :) You know what would help? Some reviews. :P**


	3. Chapter 3

She watched him walk away. It stung, just a bit, him turning his back on her. Immediately, Katara felt silly for feeling that way. How many times had _she_ cut him off and walked away without a second glance?

But it didn't feel good being the one ignored this time around.

With a resigned sigh, she picked up the handful of mushrooms and berries she'd found out scavenging and made her way into the cave. He was sitting silently, staring at his hands, and didn't look up as she entered. She found herself looking at him from an angle, watching as his shaggy, dark hair fell in his eyes. It gave him a mysterious look, and she found herself studying the side of his face. He was handsome, she thought, and almost immediately a feeling of panic welled up within her.

What was she _doing_, thinking these things? Afraid of what other things she might notice if she kept staring at Zuko, she walked past him, dropping her bag in front of him. It hid the ground with a satisfying _whump._

"Your dinner," she said, trying to sound indifferent. She didn't look at him. He had walked away from her, so it was perfectly right to be cold to him now, wasn't it? He'd shoved her away, just when they'd grown a tiny bit closer. So really, it was his fault. Katara kept telling herself that as she walked towards Appa.

"I don't get this." His voice was quiet. Katara stopped and turned, abandoning her façade of indifference.

"What?"

"You hate me," he said, voice flat. It sounded so calm, so matter-of-fact, that Katara almost believed it. She looked at him again, and the strange knot that had been bothering her since the morning tightened a bit more. _I don't hate you,_ she wanted to shout. Did he really believe that? She hadn't been _that_ cold to him, had she?

"What makes you say that?" she asked instead, her voice slightly defensive.

"Oh, I don't know, the fact that you ignore me for weeks," he spoke up, sarcastically. "You don't even speak to me unless you have to. Everything I do, you have a problem with. And when we started talking out there… you come back in, and you won't even _look_ at me. You pretend I'm not here. And when you do look at me, it's like I'm something you found on the bottom of your shoe."

"Oh, _I'm_ the one ignoring you? What just happened back there, huh? If I remember correctly, _you_ were the one who decided to get up and just leave," Katara protested. She could already feel her cheeks growing hot.

"So? It's not like you've never done that to me."

"You deserved it!"

"Really? Tell me exactly what I did to deserve it. And don't you bring up Ba Sing Se again, because we've been over that fifty times, and that's not going to change what I did. I know I made some mistakes in the past, but I'm just a person," Zuko seethed. "You said it yourself: I didn't turn out as messed up as I could have." It wounded his pride, repeating the words, but they were necessary. Katara stared at him with wide eyes.

"Look, Zuko, I'm sorry," she apologized. She had meant the words to be reassuring. Had she really offended him that much?

"I don't want your apology," he snapped. "I want an explanation." _Why, the stubborn, pig-headed –_ Katara cut off her thoughts.

"For what?" she said, her voice coming out a bit short-tempered.

"For _this,"_ replied Zuko through gritted teeth. "For why you're so _confusing._" He wanted her to explain about _herself?_ What was he, crazy? Katara found the beginnings of anger simmering in her veins. Zuko stared at her, and she met his gaze with a steady challenge.

_Her eyes really are a lot like water,_ Zuko noticed. When she was happy, they sparkled like ocean waves. They were fluid, soft. But when she was angry – when she looked at him – her eyes were a hardened blue, like ice. Pure and deadly, unforgiving. Right now, he knew he was pushing it, but he had to know why she treated him so contemptuously. It nagged at him.

"_Fine,_" she seethed. "You want to know why I have a problem with you? Because of this," she gestured wildly around the cave, "Because of the war going on. I'm _scared_, Zuko! I don't know what's going to happen, if we're going to win, if we even have a chance. Aang is training so hard, but in the end he's only twelve, going up against the Fire Lord. The whole world's fate is resting on his shoulders, and what happens if he caves under that pressure? If Aang dies, everyone I've ever loved will go too." Suddenly she was sobbing. Spirits, what _was _this? She was blubbering her heart out and crying in front of him, when this whole time she had been trying to be strong. "I've lost too many people I've cared for during this whole war. I don't want to get close to anybody else, if it means I'm just going to lose them, too." There, she had said it. She was _afraid_ to trust him, afraid to care, because if she did her heart just might shatter beyond repair. With bitter irony, Katara mused that the one person who could see her tears was the one person she _didn't_ want to comfort her.

Zuko gaped at her, at a loss for words. Her outburst had stunned him into silence. Her eyes were swimming with tears, and they weren't the soft-water eyes or the hard-ice ones. There was just a hurt look in them. Zuko wanted to reach out, to comfort her, but he was afraid he would only make it worse. But she was in turmoil, right now. And that he understood.

"Katara –" he reached out a tentative hand, hoping to rest it on her shoulder. Katara shrugged away, rubbing at her eyes furiously.

"Don't!" she shouted. She raised a hand, to either shove him or slap him. But Zuko didn't flinch or dodge the blow, like she had expected him to. Instead, he caught her hand.

Something crackled between them, and in that moment Katara truly saw Zuko. She saw a boy just as confused as she was, but who, despite it all, was trying to cover it up as best he could. _The same thing she had been doing._

The only thing they could hear was each other's breathing, and the crackle of the fire. Suddenly, Zuko leaned closer. Katara felt frozen, too exhausted to move, but at the same time all of her nerves were tingling. Zuko still held her hand.

And then he kissed her.

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**A/N: Finally! This chapter has been at the back of my mind for a while now, and it came out mostly the way I wanted. Anyway, see that little blue number, next to reviews? The next chapter isn't coming up until that number hits 30. :P**


	4. Chapter 4

_Electrified._ That was what described Katara in that moment. It felt as if all the energy in the room had been sucked into the kiss, and Katara felt all her nerves stand on end.

Spirits, what was she _doing?_ She pulled back, breathless, barely registering the embarrassed look that crept over Zuko's face as he looked away awkwardly. _What had just happened?_

"I – I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," Zuko stammered. His eyes widened as Katara placed a hand on his chest, stopping his apology.

"No, it's okay," she told him, confused as to why, for some reason, she didn't care that Zuko had just kissed her. And why _had_ he kissed her in the first place? The urge to know overwhelmed her, and before Katara knew it, the words bubbled up. "…but, _why _exactly _did_ you…?" she asked, her fingers coming up to touch her lips. Zuko rubbed the back of his neck and shifted awkwardly, looking anywhere but at her. Katara felt foolish for asking, but some girlish part of her wanted – no, needed – to know.

"I… you just looked so… vulnerable, and I thought…" he winced as the words came out. _Of __**course**__ she looked vulnerable, _he chided himself, _she was crying, for Spirit's sake._ Katara's eyes narrowed at his comment, and Zuko was reminded of why he had kissed her in the first place.

She had been crying. It had scared him. He could deal with an angry Katara, but a crying one? The sight was so unnatural, so unlike Katara to his mind, that he had freaked out. He'd thought that maybe if he kissed her, she'd be stunned enough to stop crying, at least. He glanced at her tear-streaked face from out of the corner of his eye. She had a puzzled look on her face, but at least she wasn't crying anymore. In some way, his stupid distraction had worked. But now Zuko was left wondering as to what to say.

"So then it didn't – it didn't _mean_ anything?" asked Katara, her curiosity piqued. She couldn't read Zuko's expression, but he still refused to make eye contact.

"No!" Zuko said, a little too forcefully. Silence stretched between them. Katara felt a prickling heat make its way from her neck up to her cheeks.

"Oh," she said, hating herself for feeling slightly disappointed with his answer. She felt it necessary to add a forceful "Good," to disguise the fact that maybe she _had_ cared, just a little. She shifted, feeling uncomfortable, and looked up to find Zuko studying her. "What?"

He looked away again. "Sorry, it's just… this whole night has been a little weird," Zuko stated, summing up the series of events perfectly.

"Yeah." One of the logs in the fire hissed, and the loud crackle following it startled Zuko. The tension in the air was unbearable for both of the teens.

"Zuko?" Katara's voice broke the uneasy silence.

"What?" he asked, suddenly tired. The whole day had drained him. He couldn't think clearly any longer. The only thing he wanted to do was sleep.

"I'm sorry. Really, I am. I just… everything's been so confusing. And I guess I felt like – like just when we – meaning the Gang and I - had finally started figuring some things out, you dropped in the middle of it, and suddenly I wasn't sure of anything anymore. And I got frustrated. So I took it out on you," Katara apologized. Maybe it wasn't the right moment for her to be saying any of those things, but she couldn't withhold them anymore. Zuko stared at her, then looked at the fire.

"I know how you feel," he said softly. Katara had to move closer to hear him clearly. She didn't push him – she could feel that he was trying to put the words together so that they'd make sense. They hadn't ever talked like this before, except maybe back in Ba Sing Se. She waited patiently, listening.

"All my life, I've never been sure of anything. For the longest time I was so sure it was my destiny to capture the Avatar and regain my honor. But every time I was close to getting what I wanted – or at least, what I thought I wanted – things got in the way. I got so mad, then, like the universe was out to make sure that I never found my way back on track. And then, later, when I betrayed my uncle and my father finally welcomed me back, I thought that I'd done it, that everything would be fine again. But it wasn't; I was still more confused than ever. And in my confusion, I lost one of the only people who ever really loved me, confused and all. It just… _sucked,_" he told her. The fire was slowly dying, dimming the light in the cave. Katara saw Zuko's face, drawn and tired in the fading light. He looked so sad at the mention of his uncle.

"I'm sure that when you find him, he'll forgive you, Zuko," she said, trying to offer comfort. He looked at her, his golden eyes sad.

"I hope so."

"You're not alone, though, Zuko," Katara announced. For some reason, in the past few minutes she felt closer to him than she did with Sokka. And Sokka was her _brother._ But, she realized, even though he was her brother, they rarely ever talked about their feelings. Long ago they had decided that their hurt feelings didn't change anything. They had deemed it easier to move on, to get on with life, to leave the discussions behind and just take action. On the other hand, Zuko, hot-tempered as he was, still seemed to understand the need to just _vent,_ to declare all your worries to anyone who would listen. "You have us now," she told him. "We'll look out for you."

Zuko turned and gave her a small smile. It wasn't a grin - just a crooked, silent thank-you, but Katara found herself smiling back. "And don't you have a girlfriend? I'm sure she's got your back," Katara teased, bumping Zuko on the shoulder. Zuko stared at her, startled.

"How do you know I even had a girlfriend?" he questioned. Katara blushed.

"Sokka mentioned it once," she explained.

"Oh," said Zuko. "Yeah." Katara found his hesitance peculiar, and couldn't help wondering.

"Did something… happen between you two?" she asked. Immediately she berated herself. Zuko would probably shy away now, withdrawing from her too-forward question. Actually, Katara hadn't ever stopped to think about Zuko's personal life.

"Kind of," came the flat response. Katara blinked, surprised she'd even gotten an answer.

"Kind of?" she pushed on, growing slightly bolder since Zuko hadn't pushed her away.

"I… broke up with her."

"You broke up with her? Why?" Surprise was evident in her voice.

"I ran away to join you guys, remember?"

"Oh. Yeah," Katara said, looking away.

"Besides," Zuko continued, "sometimes I wonder if Mai and I really… _understand _each other." Katara perked up, interested.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just, Mai's every bit a respectable Fire Nation girl. She still liked me even when I was a banished prince, but it's one thing to be banished unwillingly. It's different if you leave _willingly, _and I don't know if she understands, or if she would ever understand, why I had to run away and join you guys.

"It's just, Mai's always so calm and composed. Me, I'm more… explosive," Zuko said with a rueful smile. "And so it's always hard for us to tell what the other one's thinking. Sometimes I wonder if I'm reading her correctly." _I can't always figure out what she's feeling, whether positive or negative, unlike with you, where you make it clear no matter what,_ Zuko thought as he gauged Katara's reaction.

"Well, that makes sense," Katara said, leaning back. She tilted her head to the side as she regarded him. "I'd think your girlfriend would be more of a strong-emotion type."

"Look, Mai's still a great girlfriend –"

"That's not what I meant," Katara said, eyes serious. "I know she probably is. I was just saying, though, that… never mind." She trailed off and watched the fire sizzle. "It's getting late. I think we should get some sleep. Tomorrow we're going to find Aang and the gang." She stood up, brushing the dirt off her skirt. The fire was dying slowly, and soon the cave would be pitch black. Zuko followed her as she spread out her mat. He made his way to Appa, taking down his own bedroll. They put some distance between themselves - Katara on one side of the fire, Zuko on the other. The fire gave one last, loud pop before the fire sputtered out and they were plunged into inky blackness. Silence fell over them like a blanket.

"Katara?" Zuko stared up at the ceiling. He felt as if something had changed between them. Maybe, just maybe, they were beginning to like each other's company. And if that was the case, it couldn't hurt to be friendly, could it?

"Hmm?" came the sleepy response.

"Good night." She didn't say anything. All Zuko heard was her steady breathing. It was amazing that she could fall asleep that fast. Zuko didn't mind that Katara didn't answer. It was okay. Things were starting to look up, for a change, and maybe, finally, he had convinced the final member of the gang to forgive him.

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**A/N: Okay, so, I know some of you - maybe even MOST of you, are disappointed that the kiss didn't escalate into anything else. BUT, I have a reason for it.**

**See, I thought it made more sense this way. Otherwise, it would have been too sudden. But this way, Katara and Zuko have FINALLY gotten past their bickering and are starting to get to know each other. That way, their relationship can blossom in a more realistic way. **

**Also, to answer some questions:  
YES, there will be some action in the following chapters. They are going to meet up with Aang, and along the way they'll encounter someone else, too...**

**Okay, well, that's all I'm gonna tell you guys for now. :P But stay tuned! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I apologize that this chapter might not be very long, but I'm working on building up more action. Thanks for bearing with me! :)**

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Katara sat up, wide-awake as sunlight filtered in through the cave. She rubbed her eyes. Across from her Zuko snored lightly, his chest slowly rising and falling. Katara stretched. She stood up reluctantly, tiptoeing around as she packed up their things. She wanted to have an early start, in case anything went awry. The others were probably worried sick about them.

She finished, and turned to survey the cave. All that was left to do was to wake up Zuko. Katara bent over, tentatively poking him in the chest. Zuko didn't stir. She nudged him a bit more forcefully. Zuko shifted slightly, but didn't wake up. Katara sighed. She wasn't going to wait for him to wake up, and so she resorted to a different method. She unstoppered the canteen from around her waist and splashed Zuko full on the face.

"Agh!" Zuko jolted upright, glaring when he saw Katara. "What was that for?" he complained, dabbing the water off his face. Katara shrugged, her blue eyes silently laughing.

"Come on, let's go. I've packed up everything else." Zuko rose unsteadily before making his way over to Appa. Katara followed him. As she was about to take the reins, Zuko held out a hand to stop her.

"I'm not saying that you're a bad navigator or anything, but… could I steer this time?" he asked, trying to word his sentence carefully so as not to irk Katara. Katara, in a good mood after their talk the previous night, obliged.

"Here," she agreed, handing him the map. She pointed to a cluster of trees scrawled on the paper. "That's where we were camping."

"Okay." Zuko studied the map before seating himself on Appa. He guided them out of the cave and then they were airborne, the green tops of the trees slowly shrinking below.

Katara lifted her face to the sky as they rose higher. Even though they'd only spent a day in the cave, Katara felt as if she'd been gone for weeks. It was even harder to believe that she and Zuko had finally gotten along. Every once in a while Katara found herself anticipating a fight, but none occurred. They passed the ride in companionable silence. Katara scanned the ground below. Her eyes stopped on a familiar sight.

"Wait! Zuko, stop!" she called, her words snatched up by the wind. Zuko heard her anyway. They halted, hovering in the air. Katara squinted. She thought she could make out a faint wisp of smoke winding its way into the sky. "Go lower," she urged. Zuko obliged, and Katara's voice rose excitedly. "There! See it? That's the same clearing we were camped in, isn't it?" Zuko examined the area where Katara was pointing.

"It looks about right to me," he confirmed. "But where is everyone?" Katara's excitement dissipated as they dropped lower and lower. When they landed, Katara leapt off and ran around the campsite's perimeter.

"Aang? Sokka? Toph?" she called, inspecting the area and peering behind trees. Her face fell. "They're not here."

"Relax." Zuko walked over to stand beside her as he studied the abandoned campground. "They're probably out searching for _us."_

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Katara exhaled, relieved. She stiffened as Zuko placed a hand on her shoulder, but relaxed, comforted that at least she wasn't alone.

"There aren't any signs of a struggle," Zuko noted. "I think they're okay. Don't worry." Katara nodded, chiding herself for expecting the worst. Even without her and Zuko, the Gang was still capable of putting up a good fight. She looked up, and Zuko gave her a tiny smile, which Katara hesitantly returned. He nodded his head toward the forest. "So…are we going to go look for them?" he asked awkwardly. Katara looked around, trying to decide which direction to go. Her eyes focused on the trees straight ahead, and she took a step forward.

"This way," she decided.

They trekked onward for a while, picking their way over fallen logs and stones. Katara began to grow tired. Her eyes never left the ground as she scanned for footprints, and she started lagging. Zuko took the lead, brushing aside branches, eyes narrowing at the slightest sound. Katara was frustrated, sleepy, and thirsty, but she refused to complain, instead deciding to bear her suffering silently. Her weariness got the better of her, though, and she stumbled, tripping forward. Startled, Zuko caught her hand, enough to yank her up roughly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worried. He'd never seen Katara so disoriented. Katara shrugged, one hand still in Zuko's grasp, the other rubbing at her eyes.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I'm just tired."

At that moment, a rustling noise sounded off to their right. Katara and Zuko jumped. They turned slowly to the source of the noise – a large bush. Katara took a shuffling step forward, tugging Zuko along with her. Carefully, she extended a hand to push the leaves aside.

The leaves burst apart and a small, black-haired figure leapt out at them with unseeing eyes, screaming "YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"


	6. Chapter 6

"AGH!" Startled, Katara leapt backwards, slipping into a fighting stance. Beside her, Zuko did the same. In a moment, though, the figure came into focus and Katara realized that she recognized the face. "Toph?" she asked, bewildered. A slow grin spread over Toph's face.

"Sugar Queen!" she exclaimed. "Did I scare ya? I scared you _bad, _didn't I?" she asked triumphantly.

"We weren't scared," Zuko said, frowning as he straightened. Katara let her arms rest by her side.

"Sparky! So that's who the other person was!" Toph continued, grinning. She paused. "Why are you two standing so close to each other?" Katara and Zuko froze, eyes darting nervously towards each other. Each took a large step away. When they were a good distance apart, Zuko cleared his throat.

"Why does it matter, anyway?" Toph shrugged.

"Well, in case you don't remember, before the expedition or whatever that you two went on together, Sugar Queen pretty much despised you," Toph reminded them. "What changed?"

"I forgave him," Katara explained. She scanned the clearing. "By the way, where are the others?" she asked. Toph smacked herself on the forehead.

"Whoops, I forgot. We all went out looking for you guys. They should be close by." She sucked in a huge breath and raised her head, bellowing, "SOKKA! AANG! I FOUND SUGAR QUEEN AND SPARKY!" Her voice boomed through the forest, sending a flock of birds cawing and screeching as they took to the sky. Satisfied, Toph beamed proudly. "Now, we'll just wait for them to come to us," she declared.

Five minutes later, Sokka and Aang burst through the trees. Aang's grey eyes were filled with relief. "Katara!" he shouted.

"Sokka, Aang!" Katara cried, running towards them and enveloping them both in a bone-crushing, motherly hug. After stepping out of Katara's embrace, Sokka and Aang both nodded towards Zuko.

"Nice to have you back," greeted Sokka, waving his boomerang. "Where were you guys, anyway? All of us were worried sick. Aang totally freaked out, and we couldn't really go anywhere, since you guys took Appa." Sokka's eyes narrowed. "Speaking of Appa, where _is_ he?"

"We left him back in the clearing," Katara told him. "And we didn't mean to stay away so long. There were some problems."

"Katara got lost," Zuko said, speaking for the first time since the reunion. Immediately, Katara glared at him for criticizing her navigational skills. Zuko berated himself. _Don't make her mad at you after you've worked so hard to get on her good side,_ he chided himself. Why did he always manage to say the wrong thing? "I mean, it wasn't her fault," he added quickly. "It was dark and everything…"

"What matters is that you're back now," Aang said, smiling at all of them and saving Zuko from further embarrassment. "Now that you're back we can head on our way."

"Where are we going?" Katara asked. She felt as if she had missed a lot in the few days she'd been gone with Zuko.

"Remember that island Zuko suggested we go to? He said there was a house there where we could stay. We're going to go to Ember Island," Aang said, detailing the plans he and the Gang had agreed on the night earlier. "Once we're there, I can continue my training."

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Katara agreed. Aang nodded.

"We should head back to the camp site," he said, taking charge. The rest of them fell into step behind him as they headed back to Appa.

"So, what exactly happened while you two were gone?" Sokka asked curiously, filling up the silence. Zuko and Katara exchanged glances.

"Um, I found a place for us to stay the night. That was pretty much it," Katara said. Zuko didn't say anything.

"That's it?" Sokka asked. "Wow. I thought, you know, you guys would come back with stories about a grand adventure or something."

"We were only gone for two nights," Katara pointed out.

"Right." Sokka turned to Zuko. "So what exactly did you do to make her forgive you?" Zuko wasn't sure how to respond. As he opened his mouth, he felt a prickling sensation and looked towards Katara to find her staring at him. An unspoken agreement passed between them. The events of those two nights were to remain silent.

"I'm not sure, really," Zuko answered, and in all honesty he still wasn't completely sure what exactly he'd done that had made Katara forgive him. "She just did."

"Just like that?" Sokka asked, skeptical.

"Just like that," Katara echoed quietly. They moved on. Aang stopped, sweeping aside some branches before stepping into the clearing and running to Appa. He looked overjoyed to see Appa again. Katara smiled. Sokka, meanwhile, glanced around the clearing. "What are you looking for?" Katara asked, curious. Sokka frowned, stepping into the clearing behind Aang.

"Hey! Suki? Where are you?" Aang stopped hugging Appa long enough to realize that no response came. His eyes widened. Sokka began to grow frantic. "Oh, no… Suki? Suki, this isn't funny!" he shouted. Aang deflated, leaning against Appa for support. His grey eyes were tired.

"Looks like we lost yet another member of our group," he said, somberly. "We can't take off today like we planned. We'll make camp and look for Suki in the morning." He glanced at Sokka, reaching up to rest a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "She'll be okay." Sokka looked down at his boomerang.

"If someone took her, I'm going to make them wish they were never born," he said, gritting his teeth. Aang nodded.

"For now, let's sit down and have something to eat."


	7. Chapter 7

They spent the next day looking for Suki, to no avail.

"I don't understand," Sokka said, frowning. "It's like she's just…vanished. Or do you think maybe she's hiding?"

"Why would she be hiding, Sokka?" Toph tried to reason with him gently.

"I don't know," Sokka said, frustrated. He ran his fingers along his boomerang restlessly, as if anxious for action. Aang patted Appa worriedly.

"We'll find her," he reassured.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

That night, Katara couldn't sleep. Moonlight arced through the flap of her tent, refusing to go away no matter which way Katara turned. She tried throwing a pillow over her face to block out the light, but her mind refused to be stilled. Worry gnawed at her. _Where was Suki?_

She slipped on some shoes and braided her hair again before heading out. Her feet guided her for most of the way. She knew there was a lake nearby and followed the pull of water calling out to her, until she ended in a copse of trees.

The moonlight glanced over the rippling water. Katara pushed aside some branches and rustled through the bushes to stand on the edge and looked over the lake.

"You too, huh?"

Katara spun around to find Zuko sitting on a log, a ball of fire dancing in his hands. It made his amber eyes shine brighter in the dark.

"Yeah." She shifted from one foot to the other before awkwardly taking a seat next to him. Even then, she perched on the log nervously.

Zuko nodded but didn't comment further.

Eventually, the creak of the wind through the trees eased her nerves, and Katara turned to him, asking, "Do you think things will go back to normal, when this is all over?"

Zuko shrugged, opening and closing his hand around the flame. "I'm not sure I want them to."

Katara tilted her head, questioning. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know if I want to really go back to the Fire Nation," Zuko said. "And honestly, don't you think it'd be almost a waste if, after all the effort Aang put in to defeating my dad and righting things, things went back to normal? I mean, there's a reason there's a war. Things have to change."

"I see your point," agreed Katara. "But why not go back home, if your dad were gone?"

"There's nothing for me there," Zuko said, his voice raspy and his fingers clenching. "My uncle won't be there. And there's no way I could be Fire Lord, not with Azula hanging around."

"Don't say that," admonished Katara. "You're ten times better suited to be a Fire Lord than Azula. You're brave and…and nice, despite what I thought before, and you've been through so much. That's got to count for something, right?"

Zuko shrugged again, but Katara caught the ghost of smile turn up the corners of his mouth. He nodded at her. "What about you?"

"What?" Katara blinked.

"What are you going to do when this is all over?"

Katara frowned. She hadn't thought about it. "I don't know. I guess…I'd go back to the South Pole for a while. But after traveling, I think I'd like to keep doing more. So maybe I'd visit home every once in a while, but travel with Aang for the rest. Just as, you know, a companion," she felt compelled to add.

Zuko looked out over the lake. "That sounds nice," he mused.

Katara wanted to say something more, but was afraid she'd end up blurting something stupid instead, like, "You could come, too!" so she bit her lip. After a while, she asked, "Do you think you'll go back to Mai?"

Zuko gave her an unreadable look. "I'd like to see her again," he admitted. "If only because I've known her for so long. But there's no guarantee we'd pick things up again."

Katara let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, and almost immediately stiffened, hoping Zuko hadn't heard. Where were these thoughts coming from? She couldn't deny that it was a relief, though, to finally be friends with him, no matter how tentative and awkward it felt at times.

"Katara…" They turned towards each other at the same time. Unconsciously, Katara leaned closer. Zuko's face was shadowed in the moonlight, but his eyes bore into hers. There was something in the air, like there had been in the cave, but this time it was a slow kind of crackle, a prickling feeling starting in her stomach and rising to her head. She felt like she would explode into flames if he so much as brushed her hand.

"Yes?" she whispered, a ghost of a breath. When had he gotten so close? His nose, his mouth, his forehead—they were separated from hers by mere inches.

"Well, well," a honeyed voice drawled from the trees. "Isn't that sweet? Looks like Zuzu's got himself a new girlfriend."


End file.
